The United States and many other countries require the use of a car seat with a special restraint system for transporting children in a vehicle. Child car seat restraint systems restrain the child's torso in the car seat while leaving the head and limbs free to move naturally. In order to provide proper restraint, the restraining members must be tightly fitted to the child's torso.
Most child car seats have a restraint system, or harness, having either three or five anchor points. In the three-point system, a strap or post is anchored to the seat, and extends upward between the child's legs, terminating at the crotch. Two more straps or bars are anchored to the backrest of the seat and extend over the left and right shoulders of the child. The three harness elements are joined by buckles or clasps in front of the child's torso. The lengths of the harness elements are adjusted to hold the child's torso tightly in the car seat, while permitting free movement of the head and limbs.
There are several variations of this basic three-point system. For example, the harness may have a T-shaped pad at the intersection of the three harness elements. Additional means may be provided for conveniently positioning the shoulder straps. The buckle or clasp may be located at the base of the crotch. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,632,460, 4,655,506, 4,738,483, which are herein incorporated by reference, describe typical three-point restraint systems.
In a five-point system, additional fourth and fifth straps or bars are anchored to the seat or backrest of the car seat, and extend around the lower portion of the child's torso, below the arms. These straps or bars are joined with the first three harness elements in front of the child's torso. The extra straps provide added restraint against lateral movement of the torso, while permitting free movement of the head and limbs. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,679,852 and 4,685,741, which are herein incorporated by reference, describe five-point restraint systems.
Proper restraint of a child is easily accomplished in a three- or five-point restraint system when the child wears normal, fitted clothing. However, young children are often swaddled in blankets or bunting to keep them warm. Newborn children are particularly vulnerable to heat losses, because they are not fully able to regulate their body temperature. Unless a newborn infant is kept warm, she may lose heat faster than she can replace it. The lost heat depletes the infant's essential stores of fat and glycogen, energy sources which are better used for normal growth and development.
Typical swaddling blankets are not easily used in conjunction with a child car seat having a restraint system. Blankets get in the way of the harness elements, and must be folded and tucked around the harness once it is in place. The blanket is likely to come loose during the ride; or if it is so tightly placed that it will not come loose, it is probably uncomfortable for the child.
Typical swaddling blankets are also difficult to wrap around a baby, even when the baby is not confined to a car seat. Usually one must spread the blanket open on a flat surface, place the baby on top, and then wrap the blanket around the baby. Wrapping and enclosing a baby in this manner requires time and effort, and is often awkward and inconvenient, especially when a flat surface is unavailable. Moreover, it is often easy for a baby to wriggle and cause the blanket to come loose.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,903 to Farrell describes a blanket having an integral holding compartment for a baby. The compartment is formed by an additional triangular layer of cloth sewn to two adjacent sides of a rectangular blanket. The diagonal edge across the blanket is open, so that a pouch is formed, into which the torso of a baby can be inserted. The blanket can then be further wrapped around the child, minimizing her ability to wriggle free. However, the Farrell blanket is not adaptable for use with a child car seat. In particular, because the torso of the child is firmly held inside the compartment, it would be extremely difficult to pass the restraint system of a child car seat through the child's legs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,090 to Ranalli describes a swaddling blanket having slits through which the harness elements of a three- or five-point child car seat restraint system can pass. The restraint harnesses can thus be passed through the slits of the Ranalli blanket and then fastened around the child. The blanket can then be wrapped around the child. However, the Ranalli blanket suffers from the same disadvantages as regular swaddling blankets, in that it is easy for a wriggling child to work the blanket loose.
There thus remains a need for a swaddling blanket, adapted for use with a child car seat having a restraint system, that can firmly hold a wriggling infant.